Terrible Twos

Boy, have we hit them with a vengeance!  Gone is our sweet little angel, and in her place is a little imp with a beautiful face whose favorite word is, "No!" 

"Bethie, do you want grilled cheese for lunch?"
"NO!"
"Do you want some ice cream?"
"NO!"
"Do you want to go outside?"
"NO!"

*Sigh*

Christmas 2010

Christmas this year was, as always, a blessed event that was made even brighter by Elizabeth.  She understood this year that the presents under the tree were not only for her, but that they held fun surprises.  She wanted to open them every day, but aside from a few gifts from Mama and Daddy (that we were too excited to keep under wraps), she opened everything on Christmas Eve.  That is the tradition in my family, and it worked well, especially since she still gets so easily overwhelmed and exhausted.  We let her open a few gifts before dinner and the rest of them after.  She received so many nice things.  Lots of books and puzzles, which she adores, some pretty new clothes, lots of toys, and enough money to buy whatever else she liked!  She chose a TMX Elmo, since she loves everything Elmo.  He giggles when you tickle him, then falls to the floor and stands back up again.  Bethie was a little afraid of him at first, but that didn't last long.  She also chose a few movies, and since she got a Bethie-sized upholstered rocking chair, they went well together.  She likes to sit in her chair with a snack and watch a movie, or at least a few minutes of one.  Then it's off to play, and then back again for a few more minutes of movie time. 

Christmas morning was a great deal of fun.  Bethie got another puzzle (you can hear her say, "Yay!" when she opens it in the video), some books, a stuffed animal from one of her favorite shows, a collection of plastic jungle animals, and a small kitchen to play in.  She has spent the last few days making the animals roar at each other and cooking food for her dolls.  She is such a bright, inquisitive little thing, and it doesn't take long for her to catch on to anything! 

The video is from Christmas morning and it's a little long, but we love it.  I couldn't say anything for the first few moments because I was trying not to cry, watching my little girl get excited over her first Santa gifts.  I hope you all had as bright and merry a Christmas as we had!

Christmas Card

In a bit of Christmas frivolity, I "elfed" us.  I thought this was so cute, I had to share!

Ssssssssssssssssssss . . .

Here is a video of Bethie doing her animal sounds.  She speaks in half-words so "hat" comes out "haaaaaa", for example, but if you listen carefully you can make out what she is saying.  Her favorite thing to do is make the snake sound!



Such a Smart Girl!

Bethie will be 2 in just a few months, and Jeff and I can't get over how much she is learning.  She doesn't string words together yet, but she does say "please" and "thank you" both in words and sign language.  She is pretty good at letting us know what she wants, and she can understand nearly everything we tell her.  It is nice to be able to tell her to pick up her toys and then watch her comply.  She loves to be helpful, and she loves puzzles and books.  A new favorite of hers is online games, like this one from the Fisher-Price website.  She wants to play it all the time, and it is easy to see that she is going to be needing her own computer before too long!

Halloween!

We had so much fun with Halloween this year! Bethie picked out her own Cinderella costume, and she is old enough now to really have fun with all the decorations and festivities. We were invited to a church festival that had bounce houses and games for the kids, as well as a 75-car “Trunk or Treat”. The kids and their parents went to each of 75 designated cars that were decorated and got candy, so they got to trick-or-treat without worries.

Bethie loved the bounce houses, but she only made it through about 10 cars before she was done. That was fine with us, as she didn’t need a whole bucketful of candy! She ate her first Butterfinger last night, and thought that was quite a treat. It was a terrific weekend and an awesome Halloween!

This was during our lunch at Panera. Bethie is getting very vocal, and it is fun to see!

This was in one of the bounce houses:

Catching Up

I can't believe how long it has been since I updated, and I apologize! The summer went by so quickly, although now that I think of it, I can't really remember anything major that we did since the trips to Chicago and Fargo. The video is from the other day, and it showcases Bethie's fake laugh. It is so funny, and I have no idea where she picked it up. My favorite part is where she puts her hand over her mouth. I know I do that, so she must have picked that up from watching me.

One thing we did enjoy this year was the weekend before my birthday. My mom, her fiance Jerry, and my niece Alivia came to visit us to celebrate. Livy and Bethie are 5 months apart, and they get along so well. I keep waiting for them to argue or get angry with one another, and it just doesn't happen. They play and make messes and follow each other around, and we just had the best time! This definitely makes me want to move closer to home. Bethie needs to be with her cousins! She has 7 cousins on my side and 5 on Jeff's side, and she just doesn't get to see them often enough. One of her cousins is only 12 days older than Bethie, too, and she's only seen him once, when they were both babies. Until we move closer, though, we are thankful for airlines, email, and Facebook! Here are a few pictures of Bethie and Livy: